Vehicle and Parking Regulations

Vehicle and Parking Regulations

Section 1: General Information

1.1: Purpose

The purpose of Concordia University Irvine’s Vehicle Regulations is to (1) facilitate safe and orderly vehicular movement on roadways and parking lots, (2) maximize parking efficiency for university business, (3) ensure equitable parking for students, employees, and visitors, and (4) promote safety on pedestrian pathways.

1.2: Operation and Possession of Vehicles on Campus

The operation and possession of any vehicle on the Concordia University Irvine (CUI) campus is a privilege granted by the university.  The privilege to operate or park a vehicle on university property may be suspended by the university to preserve the safety of the campus community.  Vehicle operators are responsible to know, understand, and comply with Concordia's Vehicle Regulations. 

All individuals who operate a vehicle on the Concordia campus agree to:

1. Possess a current and valid driver license.
2. Keep the vehicle currently registered and insured in accordance with California law.
3. Abide by the California vehicle code and by the regulations of Concordia.
4. Pay all fines and fees resulting from violations of these regulations.

Unless stated otherwise by the university’s Vehicle Regulations, all provisions of the California Vehicle Code are applicable on the Concordia campus.  These provisions include, but are not limited to, observation of posted speed limits, traffic signs, and other traffic control devices; proper usage of seat belts; usage of cell phone or handheld devices while operating a vehicle; driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs; and yielding to pedestrians and cyclists.

1.3: Liability

Concordia does not assume responsibility for theft, loss of property, or damage to vehicles on Concordia property.

1.4: Authority to Tow

Concordia is considered private property, and The Department of Campus Safety may relocate or remove from campus any vehicle that is deemed abandoned, disabled or lacking major parts, or in violation of university parking policies as authorized by California Vehicle Code 22658(a). Concordia is not liable or responsible for towing charges or damages that may result from when a vehicle is towed from Concordia property. The vehicle owner is responsible for all towing charges incurred.

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Section 2: Vehicle Registration and Parking Passes/Decals

2.1: Parking Pass and Decal Requirements

Vehicle operators must obtain a parking pass or decal and place it in a visible location on the windshield or dash.  All student, faculty, and staff vehicles must be registered with the Department of Campus Safety.  Employee and student applicants must provide a current copy of their driver license and vehicle registration in order to obtain a decal.  If a decal is damaged or destroyed, a replacement must be obtained for a nominal fee.  The fee may be waived for extenuating circumstances including, but not limited to, the loss of a decal due to theft or vehicle damage.  Registration of a vehicle and possession of a parking pass or decal does not guarantee the registrant a parking space or any particular parking space in any particular lot on campus.

Possession of an altered, forged, stolen, or unregistered permit will result in a $250.00 fine in addition to any other university sanctions.  Persons not affiliated with the university are not permitted to possess a Faculty/Staff, Resident, or Commuter Decal without the approval of the Department of Campus Safety.

The University may suspend issuing visitor passes during large events or for extenuating circumstances. During those times, the Department of Campus Safety will not cite visitors that do not possess a visitor pass.

2.2: Proper Display of Parking Decal

Student and Faculty/Staff Decals must be properly displayed by removing the backing of the decal and affixing the adhesive side to the lower left side of the windshield. Decals may not be affixed to the windshield with tape or by any other method. Decals may not be transferred to another vehicle without first registering the vehicle with The Department of Campus Safety.

2.3: Student Parking Decal

All student vehicles are required to be registered on campus.  Students must be registered for courses and possess a current student ID card in order to obtain a Resident or Commuter Student Decal. Resident students will only be permitted to register and keep one vehicle on campus at a time. 

2.4: Faculty and Staff Parking Decal

Members of the University’s faculty or staff must obtain a Faculty/Staff Decal to park in designated faculty/staff spaces.  All persons applying for a Faculty/Staff Decal must be cleared through HR as an employee of the university and possess an employee ID.  Faculty/Staff Decals are not available to student employees.

2.5: University Contracted Employees/Affiliates

Employees of contracted services may apply for a Faculty/Staff Decal to park in designated faculty/staff spaces once they have received a university ID card from The Department of Campus Safety.

2.6: Visitor Permits

Visitors may obtain a Visitor Day Pass at the gatehouses upon entry.  Those visiting campus for an extended period may obtain a Temporary Parking Pass from the Campus Safety Office.  Applicants applying for a Temporary Parking Pass must bring a current driver license.  Visitor Day Passes and Temporary Parking Passes must be displayed face-up on the dashboard and are only valid for the duration of time displayed on the pass. 

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Section 3: Parking Regulations

3.1: General Parking Rules

A vehicle is considered “parked” when it is stopped, with the motor running or shut off, whether occupied or not unless complying with a traffic order, signal, or device.  When parking a vehicle on campus, vehicle operators must abide by the University’s vehicle regulations, painted pavement markings, posted signs, and/or directions of a Campus Safety official. The following spaces are available on campus:

1. General Parking: Vehicles carrying a valid Concordia parking permit or decal are permitted to park in the East Lot, Main lot (or Grimm Hall lot), resident hall lots, and West Lot (by the baseball field). Students with a Resident Decal are not permitted to park in the Main Lot. 
2. Faculty/Staff Parking: Faculty/Staff parking is available in the stalls marked "Faculty/Staff Parking Only." A Faculty/Staff decal or permit must be obtained from the Department of Campus Safety in order to park in these spaces.  Unless otherwise marked, general parking is allowed in Faculty/Staff stalls after hours from 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 a.m. on weekdays and all day on weekends and Concordia designated holidays.  The Faculty/Staff spaces in the Rho Parking Lot between the Facility Services yard and the Chi Rho residence hall are enforced 24 hours Monday through Friday as designated including during holidays, session recesses, and breaks. The Good Shepherd Lot is faculty/staff parking only from 7 AM to 5 PM. 
3. Visitor Parking: Visitors may park in the Student lots, in the Main (or Grimm Hall lot), in the Concordia West parking lot (by the baseball field), and in parking stalls marked "Visitor Parking Only."  Visitors must obtain a Visitor Day Pass from the Gate Attendant as they enter the campus. This pass must be displayed face-up on the dashboard of the vehicle at all times.  There is no student or employee parking permitted in designated Visitor parking spaces.
4. Reserved Stalls: Concordia has reserved special stalls for Residence Directors (RD), prospective students, and other vehicles.  Vehicles not authorized to park in these stalls risk citation.
5. Handicapped Parking: Only vehicles displaying an official handicapped placard or license plate may park in handicapped stalls. Official placards or license plates are issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles.  University-issued Temporary Accessible Parking Permits may not be used in handicapped stalls (see Section 7 for Temporary Accessible Parking Permits).

3.2: Prohibited Parking Areas

Any vehicle parked in the following areas risk citation and/or tow at the owner’s expense:

1. In an unauthorized area on, in front of, or blocking sidewalks, loading zones, pedestrian crosswalks, evacuation routes, evacuation assembly areas, landscaped areas, or building entrance/exit ways.
2. In any way that obstructs visibility of a traffic sign or device.
3. Within 15 feet of a fire hydrant.
4. Blocking traffic within an intersection or roadway or blocking parked vehicles.
5. At painted curbs and lines which are indications of restricted parking.  The following colors have been established:
   • Red zone – indicates NO parking or stopping, whether the vehicle is attended or not, unless otherwise posted. 
   • Blue space – indicates parking for vehicles with DMV-issued disabled placards or license plates only.
   • Yellow line or space – indicates loading zone for vehicles operators who are actively loading and unloading.  These spaces have a time limit of fifteen to twenty minutes.
6. For any length of time exceeding the authorized time limit so marked in the parking area.
7. In individually reserved spaces/parking slots, except by the person authorized to use the parking slot (i.e. Resident Faculty/Staff, Resident Director, President, etc.).
8. Anywhere other than a clearly marked parking space between two painted lines (double-parked).
9. In the District Office parking lot located in front of the Pacific Southwest District Office (PSWD). This lot is for PSWD staff, their visitors, and authorized personnel only.  Parking is enforced 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.  Unauthorized vehicles will be cited and may be impounded at the owner’s expense.
10. Along the neighboring residential roadways (Ascension, Silent Night, Trinity, Faith, Joy, Charity, Hope, and Daystar).  Those roadways are on private property and are not controlled by the University. 
11. Curbside facing the opposite direction of travel.

3.3: Temporary Accessible Parking

Persons with temporary disabilities who need accessible parking accommodations can apply for a Temporary Accessible Parking Permit.  The applicant must be a student, faculty, or staff member of the university and have registered their vehicle with the Department of Campus Safety.  The Temporary Accessible Parking Application is available at the Campus Safety Office in Suite 103 of the Administration Building.  A licensed physician will need to provide justification for accessible parking privileges and sign the Temporary Accessible Parking Application. The clinician submitting the documentation must not be a family member or relative of the applicant.  The Temporary Accessible Parking Application is to be turned in to the receptionist in Administration Building Suite 103. 

The application will be reviewed by the Department of Campus Safety, the Disability and Learning Resource Center, and/or the Wellness Center. Upon receipt of the application, the applicant may be issued a Temporary Accessible Parking Permit, valid for 21 days to obtain a Disabled Person Parking Placard from the Department of Motor Vehicles. After 21 days, the applicant must present a Disabled Persons Parking Placard to continue to use accessible parking privileges. It is illegal for a person to provide false information, falsify a doctor’s signature, possess or display a counterfeit or altered DMV-issued placard, or allow someone to use a placard when the person with the disability is not in the vehicle.

Persons who have been approved for accessible parking must understand that the Temporary Accessible Parking Permit does not allow parking in the following areas:

1. Disabled Person Parking stalls designated in blue stall markings (CVC 22507.8)
2. Fire Lanes and Red Zones (CVC 22500.1).\
3. Sidewalks, roadways, or other pathways
4. Neighboring residential communities
5. Lawns or other landscaped areas

3.4: Control of University Roads and Parking Lots

Concordia reserves the right to close any campus parking area or roadway for purposes including but not limited to maintenance, construction, safety, and special events.  Vehicle operators are expected to obey permanently posted or temporary signs and not park/drive in a barricaded or closed-off area.  Vehicles found in violation are subject to being cited and/or impounded at the owner’s expense. 

3.5: Trailers, Oversized Vehicles, and Recreational Vehicles
The university does not permit trailers, oversized vehicles, or recreational vehicles (RV) to be parked or stored on campus property without authorization from the Department of Campus Safety or University Administration.  An oversized vehicle is a vehicle that is too wide or too long to fit within a standard-sized parking space.  A recreational vehicle is a vehicle that is outfitted with sleeping quarters.  Trailers, oversized vehicles, and RVs are not permitted student parking decals and are not allowed overnight parking without authorization from the Department of Campus Safety or University Administration.

3.6: Motorcycles, Mopeds, and Gas-powered Scooters

Parking permits are required for all motorcycles, mopeds, and gas-powered scooters to park on campus. Special decals are available at the Campus Safety Office to students and employees who register their vehicle. Motorcycles, mopeds, and other gas-powered scooters are only to be driven on roadways and shall not be driven on pedestrian walkways or landscaped areas.

3.7: Extended-Period Parking and Vehicle Storage

Vehicles that do not belong to persons residing on campus may not be left parked on campus for more than three weeks without authorization from Campus Safety. Non-resident students, staff, or faculty are not permitted to store vehicles on campus during the academic year or during summer break without prior written approval from the Department of Campus Safety.  Persons permitted to store a vehicle on campus must:

• Possess and properly display a current university parking pass or decal for the duration of the storage period.
• Provide the Department of Campus Safety with their contact information and the contact information of someone authorized to relocate their vehicle.
• Leave the car in the parking area designated by the Department of Campus Safety.

Vehicles stored on campus without authorization or not meeting the above requirements risk citation and/or removal at the owner’s expense.

3.8: Inoperable and Abandoned Vehicles

Inoperable vehicles may not be stored on campus without prior approval from the Department of Campus Safety.  Vehicles that are inoperable or are not properly registered with the DMV will be treated as abandoned after a period of three weeks from their date of discovery.  Vehicles left on university property for more than 72 hours without a valid university pass or decal and/or approval to park will be treated as an abandoned vehicle.  Campus Safety personnel will attempt to contact owners of inoperable or abandoned vehicles.  If Campus Safety is unable to make contact with the vehicle owner, the vehicle may be removed at the owner’s expense.

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Section 4: Rules of the Road

4.1: Driving on Campus

All California Vehicle Code sections regarding moving violations are applicable on Concordia property and will be enforced by the Department of Campus Safety.  All persons operating a vehicle on campus are expected to observe the following rules of the road:

1. No vehicle operator shall disobey any control sign or roadway marking while on Concordia campus.
2. No driver of any vehicle shall fail to stop for a posted stop sign or barrier arm.
3. No person shall operate a vehicle exceeding the posted speed limit on Concordia campus.  In no case shall any vehicle be driven at a speed that is not safe for conditions of traffic, weather, and roadway conditions.
4. Driving on a sidewalk or landscaped area of the university is not permitted. No person shall drive any vehicle on Concordia property in a manner demonstrating a willful or wanton disregard for the safety of any person(s) or property [as defined in CVC section 23103(b)]. Persons driving in a reckless and unsafe manner risk losing their driving privileges on campus.
5. No vehicle operator shall race a vehicle or cause the tires to break traction with the roadway surface (burnout) while on university property.
6. Vehicle operators shall obey any order, signal, or direction of any police officer or Campus Safety personnel.
7. No vehicle operator shall operate or permit the operation of a radio or music player on campus that can be heard 50 feet or more outside the vehicle. Usage of public announcement (PA) systems in vehicles is not permitted on campus without authorization.
8. No vehicle operator shall drive on the wrong side of the roadway or enter the campus through the wrong side of the gatehouse.
9. No vehicle operator shall overcome another moving vehicle traveling in the same direction by passing in an opposing lane. Drivers are permitted to pass utility/golf carts, bicycles, or vehicles that are stopped when there are no vehicles in the opposing lane but must provide at least three feet of space between them and the cart or bicycle.
10. No vehicle operators shall overcome another vehicle or cart traveling in the same direction at intersections, blind spots, or at other unsafe locations.
11. Motorcycle, moped, and gas-powered scooter operators must wear a helmet at all times while driving on campus.
12. No vehicle operator shall carry cargo or equip a vehicle in a manner that is unsafe and/or out of compliance with state safety regulations and the California Vehicle Code.
13. Vehicle operators must yield the right of way to any emergency vehicle displaying flashing emergency lights.
14. Driving while under the influence of an alcoholic beverage and/or any drug will result in automatic revocation of driving privileges on campus.

Violations involving students shall be referred to the Director of Campus Safety and/or the Office of Student Conduct for disciplinary action and, in addition to other sanctions, may result in the loss of driving and parking privileges on Concordia property. Violations involving employees shall be referred to Human Resources. 

4.2: Traffic Collisions

Any vehicle operator involved in a traffic collision on campus should contact the Department of Campus Safety.  It is the responsibility of the parties involved to exchange information before leaving the scene of the accident.  Failure to leave or exchange information in a collision is a misdemeanor if property damage is involved (California Vehicle Code 20002) or a felony if there is injury (California Vehicle Code 20001). Leaving the scene of a collision without leaving or exchanging information may result in the suspension of driving privileges on campus.

4.3: Transponder Lanes

RFID transponders are available to homeowners, faculty, staff, and students who desire to use the right-hand entry lane at both the Ridgeline and Turtle Rock entrances.  Those who do not possess an RFID transponder must enter campus through the left-hand visitor lane and check in with the gate attendant.  Students, Faculty, and Staff can apply for a transponder at the Campus Safety Office.  Homeowners must obtain their transponder through their HOA management company. 

4.4: Utility and Golf Carts

All university employees and students operating a utility or golf cart on campus must be certified through the Department of Campus Safety and agree to abide by the Concordia University Cart Operator Policy.  University affiliates and guests authorized to drive a utility or golf cart on campus must also agree to abide by the Concordia University Cart Operator Policy.  Utility or golf carts not affiliated with university business or special events are not permitted on campus.  Persons operating carts in an unsafe manner risk having their cart-driving privileges revoked.

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Section 5: Parking and Traffic Fines

5.1: Violations and Fines

Failure to observe Concordia's Vehicle Regulations may result in the imposition of penalties and fines.  Campus Safety personnel issue fines for parking violations and some moving violations.  The following is a list of finable violations and their amounts: 

5.2: Late Fees

Parking fines are required to be paid within 21 calendar days of the date of the violation notice.  Payments received after 21 days will be assessed a 100% late fee.  Failure to pay within 42 days will incur an additional 100% late fee.  To pay a fine, follow the instruction provided on the parking violation notice.

5.3: Appeal of Violation Fines

Those wishing to appeal a parking violation fine may appeal online at citationprocessingcenter.com.  The appeal must be completed and submitted within 21 working days of the date of issue of the citation.  All appeals will be reviewed, and the appellant will be notified of the results. 

5.4: Habitual Offenders

Students who have multiple unpaid parking citations may have their student account placed on hold. This action will not allow the student to add or drop classes, enroll in future classes or obtain a copy of their transcript until the fines are paid.  Further violations may result in the loss of driving privileges on campus.  Employees with multiple unpaid violation notices will be referred to Human Resources.  Visitors who continue to violate Concordia's Vehicle Regulations will be prohibited from driving and parking on campus. Any vehicle with multiple unpaid parking citations risk tow at the owner’s expense.

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Section 6: Bicycles and Skating Equipment

6.1: Cycling on Campus

Cyclists are subject to the same rules of the road as motorists and must yield the right-of-way to pedestrians at all times.  Cyclists are encouraged to wear protective gear and must use appropriate lighting and/or reflective equipment when riding at night.  Cyclists ride at their own risk and may be held responsible for recklessness and/or injuries to others.  Concordia is not responsible for injuries suffered while cycling or injuries caused by cyclists.

6.2: Bicycle Registration

The Department of Campus Safety requires students to register their bicycles. Registration forms can be picked up and turned in at Administration 103.  Unregistered bikes may be subject to removal after the academic year or if the University believes that they may be abandoned. 

6.3: Bicycle Storage

Bicycles may not be stored in hallways or left unattended in such a manner as to constitute a hazard to other persons.  Rules regarding bicycle storage in the residence halls can be found in the Housing Handbook. Bicycle racks are provided outside each resident hall and bicycles must be parked in or near the bicycle racks. The use of an appropriate bicycle lock is recommended to reduce the possibility of theft. The Department of Campus Safety does not permit the storage of bicycles on campus during the summer break. Bicycles left unattended and unaccounted for during the summer break are subject to removal by the university. All unclaimed or impounded bikes will be removed or disposed of in ninety (90) days from the date received. Gas-powered bicycles are prohibited on pedestrian walkways and cannot be stored inside buildings or residence hall courtyards.

6.4: Skating on Campus

Skating includes the use of skateboards, roller skates, rollerblades, and non-motorized scooters.  Skaters skate at their own risk and may be held responsible for recklessness, damage done to property, and/or injuries to others.  Concordia is not responsible for injuries suffered while skating on campus or injuries caused by skaters.  All persons skating on campus are expected to abide by the following rules:

1. Skating inside Concordia buildings is prohibited. 
2. Skating is prohibited along heavily trafficked pedestrian walkways.
3. Skating is prohibited along steep walkways and roadways on campus.
4. Skaters must observe all signs restricting skating.
5. Performing skating tricks is limited to the traffic turn-around by the track and field only.
6. Any skating that damages University property is prohibited

Gas-powered or motorized skateboards or scooters on pedestrian walkways are prohibited.  Hoverboards are not permitted on campus.